Hospital beds employed in hospitals and other health care facilities commonly incorporate what are known as safety sides or bed rails to provide protection for the patient. A particular form of bed rail in common usage is an open framework comprised of top and bottom rails and end rails connecting same. Typically, the frameworks may be selectively moved to and from a vertical position by the nurse or other attendant. The frameworks are of rigid construction, commonly being formed of metal tubing having a rectangular cross-section. One or more of the frameworks, which are independently movable relative to one another, may be disposed on both sides of the bed frame. An example of a hospital bed construction of this type is the Hill-Rom 840 Hospital Bed manufactured by Hill-Rom, Batesville, Ind. The aforementioned model additionally comprises equipment housing means housing bed configuration control means, communications equipment and the like operable by either the patient or the attendant.
Since the framework is constructed of a hard, nonyielding metal material a patient can become injured when making contact therewith. This problem becomes particularly acute if the patient's condition results in, or is a contributing factor to, patient motion while he or she is confined to the bed by the bed rails.
The present invention includes a cover of a particular character which cooperates with a hospital bed rail in a particular manner to effectively eliminate injury to a patient, or attendant for that matter, due to physical contact with the bed rail. While it is known to provide covers for bed rails generally, prior art arrangements have not been fully effective in cushioning the bed rail framework in its entirety. Furthermore, prior art approaches have interfered with manipulation and placement of the bed rail by attendants. Also, prior art cover arrangements are often characterized by a propensity to become soiled and difficult to clean, particularly undesirable characteristics in a hospital or other health care environment. Additionally, prior art cover approaches have made it difficult, if not impossible, to manually access control equipment or other equipment associated with the bed rail without completely removing the cover.